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Sequester cuts a time bomb for GOP?

If anyone should know about sequestration politics, it’d be the Republicans. | AP Photo

Other high-profile defense advocates whom Democrats see as beatable because of sequestration are House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (Calif.) and Rep. Bill Young, a 22-term Floridian who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee in charge of the Pentagon’s purse strings. They also are eyeing members with military bases or defense contractors in their backyards, including Reps. Andy Barr (Ky.), Dan Benishek (Mich.), John Fleming (La.), Mick Mulvaney (S.C.), Steve Pearce (N.M.), Tom Reed (N.Y.), Steve Southerland (Fla.) and David Valadao (Calif.).

Even if the targeted GOP members work to stop the cuts and cast votes to stop them from going into effect, Democrats say the Republicans’ electoral prospects could still be dragged down if enough conservatives win on forcing sequestration to happen anyway.

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“If they continue with the extremism that they’ve engaged in and continue to hold our economy hostage and refuse to work with Democrats and the president to try to make sure we can move our economy forward and get the economy kicked into a higher gear, yes, I absolutely think they will suffer politically, as I think they did quite frankly in the last election,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

Speaking Thursday at the House Democrats’ retreat in Lansdowne, Va., Obama challenged Republicans to come up with a compromise that turns off the automatic spending cuts while looking ahead to the next political season.

“They recognize that the sequester is a bad idea, but what they’ve suggested is that the only way to replace it now is for us to cut Social Security, cut Medicare, and not close a single loophole, not raise any additional revenue from the wealthiest Americans or corporations who have a lot of lawyers and accountants who are able to maneuver and manage and work and game the system," Obama said. "I have to tell you, if that's an argument they want to have before the court of public opinion, that is an argument I'm more than willing to engage in.”

Democrats also said sequestration would pose problems for Republicans if it started March 1 but got retroactively fixed through legislation — a strategy some in the GOP say may be their best option — because of the uncertainty in front of defense contractors.

“Even if it’s undone, they will pay a political price,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.).

Several Republicans acknowledged the political predicament that incumbents are in come 2014.

“Balancing budgets in the abstract is very politically popular, but when you specifically vote on specific cuts to programs that your constituents want, there’s a price to be paid for that,” said Matt Schlapp, the former political director of George W. Bush’s White House.

Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) said he’s safe next year because he didn’t vote for sequestration in the first place. But the second-term congressman noted the cuts — if they happen — also don’t bode well for his constituents.

“It’s awful,” he said. “What about active-duty military? What about Medicare? What about doctors? It’s not the right way to do business and it’s not the right scenario.”